I had one in my old loft kitchen. Loved it. It was 2.5 x 5ft. A bit large for the space but being moveable...it often did just that. I even moved it to the end of the counter run for a while as a peninsula. Out of the way for larger gatherings. Fine in the center if just the two of us. During a dreary winter month i moved it out of the kitchen and under a window for some projects. (starting seeds for the garden, etc.) It really depends on your extra available space. I've moved since and it is now a work bench and potting table in the garage. Not really a yes/no issue. It depends on your 'wants' and if it does not work out, did you initially design your space to accommodate it from the get-go, soon to be disappointed? Being on locking castors, and not permanent, does give flexibility. Could it be pushed under the window as a buffet table? Or used for another purpose if it does not work out? My MIL has one that is small. I can't stand it. I often do all the cooking during holiday visits and it is just too small to be useful as i am prepping for 8-10. I just push it against one of the counters out of the way. She lives alone and i'm sure it works for one and only one in the kitchen. -i'm not familiar with all your decision process. just a thought....

"But I do wonder why the tops of solid plank tables don't split more often than they do.... " They are not fastened in a way to restrict the movement of the top. There are metal 'clips' that attah to the bottom of the top and ride in grooves on the inside of the apron, 'Figure 8' (AKA 'double washer', and a lot of other names) that are fastened with 2 screws and allowed to twist slightly to allow movement, blocks of wood fastned to the underside f the top that ride in grooves in the apron (wood version of the metal clips), expanding tables with leaves just push part way open, and some others I cannot even remember at the moment. All these methods allow a large top (it moves as a single board) to move on the apron while remaining tightly attached. Wood does not move appreicably along the grain, but changes dimensiomn perpendicular to the grain. Chapter 3 of the Wood Engineering Handbook by the Forest Products Lab of USDA has a detailed explanation of wood movement (including an 'end view' of a tree showing how the wood changes shape). The book is online for free.

Melamine is not a universal substance with a known definition. It is a coating. Cabinet interiors can be coated in melamine, a veneer with a finish layer or vinyl. Almost no one does hard laminate interiors anymore or paint. Melamine can use plywood or particle board or osd or even mdf as a base material (altho, my guess is the poster above who spoke of mdf meant medium density particle board. The actual melamine coating can vary between the type on the cheapest u-put-it-together desk and up. In a quality cabinet, its on medium density particle board. Short, not professional description of the base materials: Neat layers in alternating directions = plywood Finely ground cardboard = mdf (medium density fiberboard) Finely ground sawdust (little, tiny sawdust flecks, very uniform) = medium density particle board Sawdust with varing sizes bound in glue = particle board little slices of wood, not neatly arranged = osb or chip board or flake board Rather than get caught up in even more technicalities (standards? what standards?), ask for a scrap of the melamine coated stuff (about 6 x 6), take it home and put a glass of ice water on it and leave it outside overnight. The substrate and the coating should have no perceivable damage in the morning altho you might see a damp ring that goes away within a short period of time after you dry the piece.

My quibbles would be source of the ply and formaldehyde content. How are the boxes "finished"? (I prefer melamine interiors, and ply can be sourced that way.) Can you spec thicker drawer bottoms for large pot and pan drawers along with the heavier glide upgrades? Shelving is solid wood???? Are you sure it's not ply with a solid wood nosing? For the doors, MDF center panels will hold up MUCH better than solid wood center panels. They are more stable and move less with the seasonal changing humidity. If you go with solid wood, be prepared to see a lot more "beauty marks" at the joins where the wood has expanded and contracted. The only way to stop that movement in solid wood is to maintain museum quality humidity control in your home.